I decided I should rework my chart to reflect the latest Modano speculation:
McCosky says Wings will offer Modano around $1 million. Not sure what that does for the Wings’ defense.
(original McCosky piece here)
Well, let’s see. I adjusted my latest projections to reflect the bar set by the Miller deal. Basically, I dropped everyone down $50,000 because I last had Miller at $700,000.
| Player | Cap Hit |
|---|---|
| Total salary commitments | $58,142,045 |
| Partial cap space for signing veteran defenseman | $1,257,955 |
| Roster Spots Used (of 23) | 23 |
| (Calculations via CapGeek) (cap hit values in millions) | |
| Darren Helm | $.800 |
| Patrick Eaves | $.700 |
| Justin Abdelkader | $.750 |
| Mike Modano | $1 |
| Drew Miller | $.650 |
| Mattias Ritola | $.517 |
So assuming the McCosky number is correct, that leaves $1.2 million plus whatever space can be cleared by making room under the 23-man limit. Somebody has to go and the most likely options are the guys at the bottom of that list.
I’d, uh, say there’s a reasonable chance the Wings can land their veteran defenseman for the space they’ll have with that $1.2 million plus either $.650 or $.517 million. But which guy gets the boot?
Given the time and money they’ve put into Ritola, I’m thinking Miller. Which isn’t good news for the PK.